Clean that Slate!

Guest Blogger: Nancy Oelklaus

Does anyone remember the Magic Slate? Do they even make them any more? As a child, I loved writing or drawing on my Magic Slate and then lifting the sheet to erase everything and start over. There’s an exhilaration from that experience of erasing and starting over with a clean slate.

If you wish you had a Magic Slate for life experiences and emotions, you might consider these suggestions from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous:

“When we retire at night, we constructively review our day. Were we resentful, selfish, dishonest or afraid? Do we owe an apology? Have we kept something to ourselves which should be discussed with another person at once? Were we kind and loving toward all? What could we have done better? Were we thinking of ourselves most of the time? Or were we thinking of what we could do for others, of what we could pack into the stream of life? But we must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to others. After making our review we ask God’s forgiveness and inquire what corrective measures should be taken” (p. 86).

Nancy Oelklaus

I’ve tried this suggestion. It works. I find that when I take this inventory and apologize quickly, I don’t have to carry my baggage for so long or look for ways to justify my behavior.

Try it. Clean your slate. Begin anew.

About the Author

Nancy Oelklaus is a personal life coach based in Austin, Texas and the author of Journey From Head to Heart: Living and Working Authentically as well as Alphabet Meditations for Teachers and co-author of Rewriting Life Scripts, with Liliane Desjardins and Irene Watson.